Wednesday, 17 January 2018

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has been issued a 14-day ultimatum by the Senate to arrest and investigate the perpetrators of the Benue killings. The declaration followed consideration of a report of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the Current Security Infrastructure in Nigeria.

The committee, who visited Benue on Friday to ascertain the level of killings in the state, presented their report through its Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, during plenary on Tuesday. According to him, recommendations of the committee included reexamining, revamping and reinventing the nation’s security architecture and infrastructure in order to ensure that no community or entity was left unsecured and unsafe.

Lawan, who doubles as the Senate Leader, said other recommendations are for the Senate to convene, as a matter of utmost urgency, a national security summit. He said the committee recommended that government should examine the recurring violence and mayhem visited on rural communities before they become an existential threat to national cohesion and national survival.

Other senators including former Senate President David Mark and the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu also contributed in the deliberation and called for an immediate and long-term solution to the crisis. President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki in his address noted that the Senate’s debate on the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Benue and other states had shown that it was not religious-based.

“It was a breakdown of law and order in that part of the country. “I commend my Distinguished Colleagues for their sincerity and patriotism during this debate. This killing is also a wake-up call for all of us to put all hands on deck to address this crisis. “We want to see immediate action. One point raised here today is the issue of justice. Without justice we cannot see unity and that justice stands as one of our recommendations. “In the next 14 days, the Inspector General of Police must find the perpetrators, arrest them, and the Attorney General of Benue State must prosecute them. That is the minimum requirement and it must happen,” he said.

“Our resolution is that some of our discussions here need to be conveyed to Mr. President. We appreciate his actions for calling us and giving us a brief on what has happened. Hence, we owe it to him to tell him what we have discussed and the seriousness with which we have taken the issue.

“It is a wake-up call for him and it is a wake-up call for us. It is a wake–up call for this government. We must address the issue of security. We cannot continue to allow this violence to keep going on from one state to another. Therefore, something needs to be done,” Saraki said.